Trace-holder.



PATBNTED APR. 30

T. B. SMITH. TRACE HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED JUL Y23, 1906.

Tu: "cams P7ERS ca. WASHINGTON, u. :4

THOMAS B. SMTTI-I, OF CYNTHIANA, KENTUCKY.

TRACE-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 30, 1907.

Application filed July 23, 1906. Serial No. 327,413.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cynthiana, in the county of Harrison and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful improvements in T race- Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists of an improved form of trace holder for whiffletrees and aims particularly to provide a device of this class of extremely simple construction and one which may be very cheaply manufac tured in the practical embodiment thereof.

The holder is adapted to be readily applied to any of the common types of whifl'letrees at present in use and is designed to 0bviate all likelihood of slipping of the trace when connected with the whiffletrees which ordinarily causes uneven draft on the shoulders of a draft animal, giving rise to disadvantages of an obvious import to those versed in the art to which the invention appertains.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result,'reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the invention applied to a whiffletree. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modification.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

In carrying out the invention and referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the whilfletree and the numeral 2 the trace adapted to slip over an end of the whittletree in the customary manner. The holder which comprises the present invention consists of a body 3 having at its outer end spaced retaining members or fingers i and provided. I

at its inner end with a downwardly extending projection 5. A fastening 6 attaches the holder 3 to the whiffle-tree 1 and preferably consists of a screw fastened through the holder 3 intermediate of its ends and adjustably securing the same in operative position. The invention is adapted to be constructed in various ways and is preferably made from a single length of spring wire bent upon itself between its ends as shown most clearly in the drawing, the holder therefor consists of a body composed of two strands of material or wire, the projection 5 being bent at a right angle to the body at one end thereof and entering a recess 7 in the upper side of the whiffletree 1. Throughout the major portion of the length of the body of the holder, the two strands of material are twisted about one another, the twisted portion terminating near the outer end of said body, and the extremities of the wire being bent downwardly to form the spaced retaining members i, the lower ends of which are adapted to be received in spaced recesses S in the whiflietree 1. The fastening 6 is located near the projection 5 and passes preferably through a space formed by bulging the strands of material outwardly. The material from which the holder is made admits of spring movement thereof in engaging and disengaging the same from the trace and the provision of the adjustable fastening 6 admits of variation in the degree of spring movement of the holder.

It will of course be understood that a holder such as above described is applied to both ends of the whitl'letree and by the provision of the spaced retaining members 4 there is no likelihood of slipping of the trace longitudinally of the whillle'trec whereby one of the traces will be nearer the point of pivotal connection of the whillletrce, thereby causing the draft of the animal to be uneven.

Fig. 3 of the drawing illustrates a slight modification in the construction of the holder 3 wherein the material from which it is made is formed with a coil 9 near the fastening 6, said coil being designed to increase the spring action of the holder in an obvious manner.

The various advantages incident to the construction of the invention as set forth herein are believed to be obvious and will therefore not be mentioned.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. The combination of a whitlle tree, and a trace holder formed of two strands of wire twisted together throughout a portion of their length and having one end fastened to the Whittle tree while at the opposite end the extremities of the two strands are extended laterally to form spaced retaining fingers designed to embrace the trace.

2. The combination of a whiille tree having a recess formed therein, and a trace holder formed of two strands of wire twisted together throughout a portion of their length I to form spaced retaining fingers for engaging and having one end fastened to the Whifile 5 the trace, and afastening member passing betree and provided with a projection entering tween the twisted strands at the opposite the before mentioned recess, while at the opend of the trace holder and entering the posite end the extremities of the strands are I Whittle tree.

extended laterally to form spaced retaining In testimony whereof I aflix my signature fingers designed to engage the with. in presence of two witnesses.

3. The combination of a w i e tree, a M trace holder formed of two strands of wire THOMAS SMITH twisted together throughout a portion of I Witnesses: their length and having their extremities at I V. S. VAN DERIN, one end of the trace holder extended laterally 1 JAS. M. RANKIN. 

